Nolan - I owe Hammers

Kevin Nolan is determined to bring Premier League football back to West Ham, after finding his 'perfect club'.

Last Updated: 18/05/12 11:25am

Kevin Nolan: Midfielder wants to be part of history at West Ham

Kevin Nolan is determined to bring Premier League football back to West Ham, after finding his 'perfect club'.

The Upton Park skipper will lead his side out in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday, as the Hammers bid to bounce straight back into the top flight following last year's relegation.

And the 29-year old, who has taken the club to his heart since joining last summer, knows just how important victory is against Blackpool.

He told the Independent: "It will be amazing to lead the team out in front of 38,000 West Ham fans but it won't be remembered unless we win. That is the main thing for me. This is a massive game.

"You have to turn up and you have to produce your best to get to where you want to be."

Repay

And he wants to repay the club who offered him the chance to resurrect his career, after Newcastle withdrew their offer of a new contract.

He continued: "I owe them 110 per cent from the moment I walk in the door to the moment I leave. That really drives me on because people have put so much faith and trust in me. I want the people who put trust in me to go, 'Yeah, that lad gave us everything.'

He said: "I want them to be the best they can be for West Ham and, as weeks and months go by, I think we've got stronger as a group and come together more. I just hope to be sharing such a great moment with them all."

Home

The Liverpool-born midfielder was disappointed to leave Newcastle, a club he admits he thought he would be part of for 'many years', but in East London, he appears to have found a home-from-home.

"Newcastle is similar to the way I was brought up and I related to that," he said.

"If I could have chosen one club in London that would be perfect for me as a lad, it would be West Ham. It reminds me so much of Liverpool and Everton, a working man's club.

"People have been here for 25 years, like at Newcastle. You've got Pete the kitman and then you've got Shirley, who's in the kitchen, and I think she's been here for 38 years. To hear her excitement, knowing she's going to Wembley this week, is what it's all about."